Banner Mountain Homeowners Association (BMHA) Est. 1984 
Loma Rica Ranch and Realignment of Idaho Maryland Road at Brunswick
Abstract of the issue: This is a public safety issue. The dangerous intersection at Idaho-Maryland & Brunswick has been a safety issue for many years, especially during the winter months with ice and snow. Numerous accidents have occurred there. The county has legally blocked the crossing of Brunswick to reach the continuation of Idaho-Maryland Rd. However, several people have been seen illegally driving across Brunswick and continuing on Idaho-Maryland while risking their own safety and others. For safety reasons, the Idaho-Maryland/Brunswick Intersection should be moved north along Brunswick to the “flatter area” closer to the old Loma Rica Ranch house where ideally it would join the proposed Dorsey Drive extension. The developer does not want to pay for the relocation of Idaho-Maryland Rd.
BENEFITS OF RELOCATING IDAHO-MARYLAND ROAD:
- Safer Idaho-Maryland/Brunswick Intersection.
- Could also remove the dangerous icy curve near the bottom of Idaho-Maryland, the scene of severe accidents each winter.
- Could provide direct access to the proposed Dorsey Drive extension leading to the Hospital, Sierra College, etc.
Click to download Nevada County’s input to Grass Valley City on the Loma Rica Ranch (LRR) impact on the Idaho-Maryland and Brunswick Rd intersection. Pages 1- and para 5 on p.3 are germane.
The issue is, if LRR is approved, LRR will have a traffic impact on the Brunswick Corridor, and on those folks on Banner Mountain, in particular those who live on or near Id- Md Rd.
The current configuration of the intersection is “temporary” and the result of considerations of safety. At present, you cannot turn left onto or cross Brunswick from eastern Id-Md Rd. You can only turn right.
For the intersection to be fully operable and safe, Id-Md must be realigned down slope to the north onto flatter ground to intersect w/ Brunswick. There, a roundabout or signal can be installed. If we tried that kind of improvement at the current intersection, we would have a problem in wet or snowy weather, because vehicles travelling down slope on Brunswick would have potential (and would) collide with cars stopped at a signal or would overrun a roundabout. Realignment will remove the slope hazard.
The City of Grass Valley is the approval authority for LRR because they will annex that area if the development is approved (or someday if it’s not). We think that the city council will do the right thing and require the developer to make the necessary improvement described above as a condition of approval for the project. To do otherwise would be irresponsible from a traffic mitigation and a safety standpoint.
The realignment solution is GV’s “preferred” solution, but has not been officially adopted. Again, the city should require the developer to fund the improvement.
Because of the potential impact on Banner Mtn., we believe it would be helpful if the homeowner's could write a letter to the city to the effect that you support the “preferred solution” be adopted, that it be a condition of approval, and that it be funded by the developer.
If you have detailed questions, please contact Nevada County's senior engineer, Steve Castleberry, at 265-1718.
A map of the change is shown here.
Template of a letter you can send to Grass Valley City regarding this issue.